


our hallowed bones.

by lolitha



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Canon LGBTQ Character, Established Relationship, Lovers To Enemies, M/M, relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:02:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28906071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lolitha/pseuds/lolitha
Summary: The Greatest Wizard of All Time. Albus hadn't always sought the title. And when the notion first came to him, it was whispered on the lips of a lover. Together they would be the mightiest beings to walk the earth, standing above Wizard and Muggle alike. But the dreams of youth, however determined, will be challenged.
Relationships: Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald
Kudos: 9





	our hallowed bones.

As night fell, so did a soft haze of mist, and it became nearly impossible to tell that the lovers' robes were dripping with blood. Their sins were hidden by the dark, just as they always had been. It was harder with every passing moment to make out their dim silhouettes as they encircled one another. They moved like vague shadows. There was a poise - a tame control that came from decades of dueling - that kept the men composed as they stared each other down, side-stepping carefully through the fog. But the fatal tension that hung in the air betrayed their calm. 

Inside each one of them was not a fine wizard or a noble warrior, but a man scorned, driven by wild instincts. One was more in tune with that feral desire for war.

A furious burst of dark magic illuminated Grindelwald as it left the wand at his side. It lingered at the tip for a moment, sparked and twisting in on itself. He felt the energy surge and burn at his hip - the same burn as a hand that lingers over a newly lit flame - and gritted his teeth into a smile. The light exposed his wounds for only a second. Then, with an underarm arc of his fist, he sent the spell through the dark to find his lover. 

Its approach lit Dumbledore's face; blood and bruises masking already sullen cheeks. The wand fell from his hand, lost to the mist, as the spell forced him to his knees. It would be a lie to say he had never felt this pain. But the agony coming from his lover's hand - with a smile no less - was a far harsher blow than that just sent waves of shock through his chest. He hung his head, wheezing, breathless. A trembling hand came up to hold his chest and in this all-consuming cocoon, he did not hear the soft crunch of approaching footsteps. 

By the time he managed to force a desperate breath, Grindelwald was towering above. 

" _Du mutig warst, meine Liebe,_ " he spoke softly, looking straight ahead through the mist. "But that will not save you." Grindelwald gave a long sigh and watched the cloud of breath dispel in the cold air. "You still fight like a _boy_ , Albus." He dropped to a dominant crouch but still made no attempt to catch his victim's weak gaze. "So _tame_..." His mouth twitched in amusement, not quite a smile anymore. His dark eyes were full of cruelty as he finally turned his head to work at his victory. His tongue, even more wicked, "after all this time, did I teach you _nothing_?"

Dumbledore's wit failed him and he kept his heavy eyes on the ground. 

"It all could've been ours, Albus. All of it." Grindelwald felt the ancient notches of sacred wood in his hand. The Elder Wand. It was a dream they had shared once. But, like all beautiful things, the dream was only that. A passing fancy. But what remain was true. 

The power and the blood. 

"Gellert, I-"

A hand snatched around Dumbledore's jaw and killed his protesting whisper. 

"But _you_ -" Grindelwald clenched his grip tighter, forcing their eyes to meet. "You _abandoned_ me." They were close now. Fury quickened the breaths that glanced across Dumbledore's face. But he was lost in those familiar eyes, _so close_. But soon even that small haven of safety - of the past - disappeared behind a brim of tears. "No, you _betrayed me_. After everything-"

"I did." The tears fell with his whispered confession. "And I would do it again."

But even as the words left his mouth, Dumbledore wished to take Gellert in his arms like he used to. To share his warmth and his bed like he used to. To share his dream of supremacy. _Like he used to_. When they were young and glorious, when they could be anything. But he supposed how easy it was to wish for such dishonourable things to return now. 

When on the pyre, one envies when they waded through the flood.

Still, better to die at his hand than live without his touch.

**Author's Note:**

> You made it to the end. ✨ Congratulations! ✨
> 
> It's been a _very long time_ since I've written literally any kind of fanfic so I'm _very_ rusty. It was kinda of the cuff so I don't have any solid plans to continued (I'm just scratching an itch here) but if there was demand I might keep going. I have lots of ✨ gay thoughts ✨ about these boys; so if you want to read about their relationship (from the very start ???), drop me a kudos, comment, whatever ❤️


End file.
